GeForce RTX 3050 6GB vs Radeon R7 M260

NVIDIA

GeForce RTX 3050 6GB

2024Core: 1042 MHzBoost: 1470 MHz
RTX family
·······
VS
AMD

Radeon R7 M260

2015Core: 620 MHzBoost: 715 MHz
Similar parts
·······

GeForce RTX 3050 6GB vs Radeon R7 M260 Performance Spectrum

About G3D Mark

G3D Mark is a standard benchmark that measures graphics performance in real-world gaming scenarios. It simplifies comparing cards from different brands, where higher scores directly correlate with better fps and smoother gaming experiences.

GeForce RTX 3050 6GB vs Radeon R7 M260 FPS Benchmarks

Predicted gaming performance across popular games. Tested paired with Ryzen 7 9800X3D to isolate GPU performance.

Search any supported game below to compare 1080p FPS for both components.

GeForce RTX 3050 6GB vs Radeon R7 M260: Pros, Cons & Final Verdict

See where each GPU makes more sense in practice: raw FPS, VRAM, features, power draw, pricing, and long-term headroom.

GeForce RTX 3050 6GB

2024

Why buy it

  • 1178.8% more average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
  • Delivers 1227.6% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 63.6 vs 4.8 G3D/$ ($169 MSRP vs $110 MSRP).
  • Access to DLSS 2 Super Resolution (2020).
  • 50% more VRAM for high-resolution textures and newer games (6 GB vs 4 GB).
  • Better long-term bet: Ampere (2020−2025) on 8nm gives it a newer hardware base for upcoming games.

Trade-offs

  • Fewer clear downsides in this head-to-head, aside from the usual pricing and availability swings.

Radeon R7 M260

2015

Why buy it

  • Costs $59 less on MSRP ($110 MSRP vs $169 MSRP).

Trade-offs

  • Lower average FPS than GeForce RTX 3050 6GB across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
  • Less VRAM, with 4 GB vs 6 GB for high-resolution textures and newer games.
  • No DLSS support; it relies on FSR Upscaling / FSR 4 (2025) instead.
  • 2015 hardware with 4 GB of VRAM is already well past its comfortable zone for modern gaming, so it is hard to recommend now.
  • Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 4.8 vs 63.6 G3D/$ ($110 MSRP vs $169 MSRP).

Quick Answers

Which GPU is faster for gaming right now?
GeForce RTX 3050 6GB is the faster gaming card right now. In our data, it leads by 1178.8% in average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data and by 1939.7% in PassMark G3D (10,749 vs 527), so the answer here is pretty clean.
Which GPU is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond?
GeForce RTX 3050 6GB is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond. The case is simple: 6 GB vs 4 GB of VRAM, a 8nm process instead of 28nm, 18 vs 0 ray-tracing units, and a newer 2024 generation instead of 2015. That gives it more room for heavier textures and higher settings over time.
Which GPU is the better buy today?
GeForce RTX 3050 6GB makes the most sense to buy today. It is $59 more expensive on MSRP at $169 vs $110, and it leads G3D-per-dollar by 1227.6% (63.6 vs 4.8), so the value case lines up with the gaming result.

GeForce RTX 3050 6GB vs Radeon R7 M260 Technical Specifications

Side-by-side specs, architecture details, clocks, memory, power, and platform differences.

NVIDIA

GeForce RTX 3050 6GB

The GeForce RTX 3050 6GB is manufactured by NVIDIA. It was released in February 2 2024. It features the Ampere architecture. The core clock ranges from 1042 MHz to 1470 MHz. It has 2304 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 70W. Manufactured using 8 nm process technology. It features 18 dedicated ray tracing cores for enhanced lighting effects. G3D Mark benchmark score: 10,749 points. Launch price was $179.

AMD

Radeon R7 M260

The Radeon R7 M260 is manufactured by AMD. It was released in December 6 2015. It features the GCN 1.0 architecture. The core clock ranges from 620 MHz to 715 MHz. It has 384 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 75W. Manufactured using 28 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 527 points.

Graphics Performance

In G3D Mark, the GeForce RTX 3050 6GB scores 10,749 versus the Radeon R7 M260's 527 — the GeForce RTX 3050 6GB leads by 1939.7%. The GeForce RTX 3050 6GB is built on Ampere while the Radeon R7 M260 uses GCN 1.0, both on 8 nm vs 28 nm. Shader units: 2,304 (GeForce RTX 3050 6GB) vs 384 (Radeon R7 M260). Raw compute: 6.774 TFLOPS (GeForce RTX 3050 6GB) vs 0.5491 TFLOPS (Radeon R7 M260). Boost clocks: 1470 MHz vs 715 MHz.

FeatureGeForce RTX 3050 6GBRadeon R7 M260
G3D Mark Score
10,749+1940%
527
Architecture
Ampere
GCN 1.0
Process Node
8 nm
28 nm
Shading Units
2304+500%
384
Compute (TFLOPS)
6.774 TFLOPS+1134%
0.5491 TFLOPS
Boost Clock
1470 MHz+106%
715 MHz
ROPs
32+300%
8
TMUs
72+200%
24
L1 Cache
2.3 MB+2456%
0.09 MB
L2 Cache
2 MB+700%
0.25 MB

Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

The GeForce RTX 3050 6GB gets NVIDIA DLSS, which still tends to look cleaner in motion. The Radeon R7 M260 leans on FSR, which is flexible and widely supported, but usually a bit rougher at the same settings.

FeatureGeForce RTX 3050 6GBRadeon R7 M260
Upscaling Tech
DLSS 2 Super Resolution
FSR Upscaling / FSR 4
Frame Generation
Not Supported
Not Supported
Ray Reconstruction
No
No
Low Latency
NVIDIA Reflex
AMD Anti-Lag
💾

Video Memory (VRAM)

The GeForce RTX 3050 6GB has 6 GB of VRAM, while the Radeon R7 M260 carries 4 GB. GeForce RTX 3050 6GB gives you 50% more memory capacity, which matters more once you move into heavier textures, mods, or higher resolutions. Memory bus width is 96-bit on the GeForce RTX 3050 6GB and 128-bit on the Radeon R7 M260. L2 Cache: 2 MB (GeForce RTX 3050 6GB) vs 0.25 MB (Radeon R7 M260) — the GeForce RTX 3050 6GB has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.

FeatureGeForce RTX 3050 6GBRadeon R7 M260
VRAM Capacity
6 GB+50%
4 GB
Memory Type
GDDR6
GDDR5
Memory Bandwidth
168 GB/s
Unknown
Bus Width
96-bit
128-bit+33%
L2 Cache
2 MB+700%
0.25 MB
🖥️

Display & API Support

DirectX support: 12 Ultimate (GeForce RTX 3050 6GB) vs 12 (FL11_1) (Radeon R7 M260). Vulkan: 1.3 vs 1.2. OpenGL: 4.6 vs 4.6. Maximum simultaneous displays: 4 vs 2.

FeatureGeForce RTX 3050 6GBRadeon R7 M260
DirectX
12 Ultimate
12 (FL11_1)
Vulkan
1.3+8%
1.2
OpenGL
4.6
4.6
Max Displays
4+100%
2
🎬

Media & Encoding

Hardware encoder: NVENC (5th Gen) (GeForce RTX 3050 6GB) vs VCE 1.0 (Radeon R7 M260). Decoder: NVDEC (7th Gen) vs UVD 4.0. Supported codecs: H.264,HEVC,AV1 (Decode Only) (GeForce RTX 3050 6GB) vs H.264,VC-1,MPEG-2,MPEG-4 (Radeon R7 M260).

FeatureGeForce RTX 3050 6GBRadeon R7 M260
Encoder
NVENC (5th Gen)
VCE 1.0
Decoder
NVDEC (7th Gen)
UVD 4.0
Codecs
H.264,HEVC,AV1 (Decode Only)
H.264,VC-1,MPEG-2,MPEG-4
🔌

Power & Dimensions

The GeForce RTX 3050 6GB draws 70W versus the Radeon R7 M260's 75W — a 6.9% difference. The GeForce RTX 3050 6GB is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 300W (GeForce RTX 3050 6GB) vs 350W (Radeon R7 M260). Power connectors: None vs Mobile. Typical load temperature: 75°C vs 75°C.

FeatureGeForce RTX 3050 6GBRadeon R7 M260
TDP
70W-7%
75W
Recommended PSU
300W-14%
350W
Power Connector
None
Mobile
Length
160mm
Slots
2
0-100%
Temp (Load)
75°C
75°C
Perf/Watt
153.6+2094%
7.0
💰

Value Analysis

At launch, the GeForce RTX 3050 6GB came in at $169, while the Radeon R7 M260 launched at $110. On MSRP, Radeon R7 M260 was 34.9% cheaper ($59 less). Performance per dollar on MSRP (G3D Mark / MSRP): 63.6 (GeForce RTX 3050 6GB) vs 4.8 (Radeon R7 M260) — the GeForce RTX 3050 6GB offers 1225% better value. The newer card here is GeForce RTX 3050 6GB (2024 vs 2015).

FeatureGeForce RTX 3050 6GBRadeon R7 M260
MSRP
$169
$110-35%
Performance per Dollar
63.6+1225%
4.8
Codename
GA107
Opal
Release
February 2 2024
December 6 2015
Ranking
#252
#878

Affiliate Disclosure

ChipVERSUS is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com. We may earn a commission on qualifying purchases made through our links. This comes at no additional cost to you and helps support our work in providing comprehensive PC building guides and tools.

Amazon and the Amazon logo are trademarks of Amazon.com, Inc. or its affiliates.